‘We definitely encourage walk-ins to talk to the office manager to talk about the services offered’

August 19, 2013

If you're one of those people who are experiencing pain and feeling self-conscious about varicose veins or other skin care issues, you need go no further than Dakota Square Mall and make a stop at the Minot Vein Care Clinic to find relief.

Drs. Ed and Ian Corpus, father and son, practice in the same clinic as board certified family medicine physicians. Dr. Ed Corpus Jr. is a general and vascular surgeon along with an emphasis on phlebology, and Dr. Ian Corpus is board certified in family medicine with an emphasis on aesthetic medicine. Ed Corpus has been practicing medicine in North Dakota for over 25 years and Ian Corpus, the son, wanted to join his father's practice and chose to return to North Dakota.

The Minot Vein Care Clinic can help with varicose veins, spider veins, legs that feel achy or are heavy or tired, and pigmentations or lesions on the face or body that could use minimizing. The clinic offers treatments including endovenous laser ablation, sclerotherapy, foam sclerotherapy and DioLite skin and facial laser. They also offer treatments for hemorrhoids and varicose vein disease. Ian Corpus said the clinic also now offers aesthetic services like Botox, Juvederm, laser hair removal, skin tightening, skin resurfacing, chemical peels and dermaplaning. The clinic will also be offering some primary care services in the near future, he added.

Article Photos

Jill Hambek/MDNDr. Ian Corpus, left, and Dr. Ed Corpus Jr., right, stand in front of the Minot Vein Care Clinic. They both practice in the same clinic as board certified family medicine physicians, offering treatments for vascular issues like varicose veins or pigmentations in the skin, among others. The Minot Vein Care Clinic is located at the Dakota Square Mall, with another location in Fargo.

There are two vein care clinics, one located at Dakota Square Mall and the other in Fargo near West Acres Mall. The Drs. Corpus are at the Minot clinic every Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We'll offer more extended hours in the future, but our office is open six days a week," Ian Corpus said.

It might seem odd to have a clinic in a space in a mall, where the bulk of stores sell clothing or shoes or other items, but it was a strategic move on the part of the Corpuses. They chose the location because of the foot traffic, and after some of the procedures, patients are encouraged to walk.

"We've been at this location for six years. Everyone comes to the mall," Ian Corpus added. In other major cities across the U.S., there are many clinics located in malls because of the foot traffic and convenience, Corpus pointed out.

"Plus, we do all outpatient procedures so there's no down time for anyone," he added. "People come in and out, do their shopping and a lot of our patients come from out of town so it gives them a chance to come to the mall."

Appointments can be made by calling or stopping by the clinic. The majority of people coming to the clinic heard about it by word-of-mouth, Corpus said, or they just stop in while at the mall.

"We definitely encourage walk-ins to talk to the office manager to talk about the services offered," he added.

Business at the clinic has been pretty steady, said Corpus. The patients are mostly walk-ins and referrals, he added. The clinic does some advertising, Corpus noted, but they don't have to do much since the location in the mall is effective.

This coming winter, the Minot Vein Care Clinic will be offering a lecture series discussing some issues like what to eat and not eat, or when to take and when not to take medicine. Everyone is seemingly interested in those kinds of topics, Corpus said, and he and his father want to help patients with these common practices.

The most common procedure that people have come in to the clinic for has been the endovenous laser ablation, Corpus said, which is a laser procedure for varicose veins that takes about 40 minutes total. "We've had great patient outcomes with that," he added. Another common procedure is sclerotherapy, where the medicine is injected directly into the veins, Corpus said. Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment for spider veins and small to medium-sized varicose veins.

The Minot Vein Care Clinic takes care of a lot of common issues, Corpus said. People complain of heaviness or tired feelings in their legs and that can lead to serious diseases, he continued, and he wants to prevent diseases early on.

Corpus said the clinic is important because he wants to help prevent skin breakdown from occurring. "It's important because, while the services are all cosmetic, patients want these services available to them," he said.

"We want to focus on 'health is wealth,'" Corpus continued. "We want to keep healthy people healthy and we do that by educating patients."